A mobile communication network using IMT-2000 (International Mobile Telecommunication 2000) can provide a communication service known as a multi-call service, which enables a user of a mobile phone to simultaneously use a voice communication service and a data communication service. Accordingly, by using a mobile phone which complies with IMT-2000 and which is capable of using the multi-call service, a user can receive e-mails or browse a variety of contents by use of a WWW (World Wide Web) browser during voice communication.
When it becomes possible to perform data communication during voice communication, a user of a mobile phone can receive a mail alert indicating reception of an e-mail during voice communication, to inform the user that an e-mail has been stored in a mailbox for storing e-mails addressed to the user. On receipt of the mail alert, a mobile phone informs a user thereof that it has received an e-mail; for example, by a ring alert or a vibration.
However, if a mobile phone is set to provide a user with a mail alert, voice communication can be undesirably interrupted by the alert.
As a means of solving the foregoing described problem, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2001-211478 proposes a technique for alerting a user of a received e-mail message, during voice communication, via an LED. Accordingly, interruption of voice communication by a sound can be avoided.
However, since a mobile phone is necessarily positioned proximate to an ear of a user during voice communication, it is unlikely that an LED indication provided in the mobile phone is will be noticeable to the user. Consequently, there is a high probability that the user will not be aware of an e-mail alert.
The present invention has been made in view of the foregoing described circumstances, and its object is provide a technique for, in a communication terminal capable of receiving a mail alert during data communication, and promptly informing a user of reception of an important e-mail without interrupting an important voice communication.
To solve the problems discussed above, the present invention provides a communication terminal capable of receiving data addressed to a user thereof while the terminal is being used for voice communication, comprising: storing means for storing an importance level of a communication partner in association with an identifier of the communication partner; first obtaining means for obtaining an identifier of a voice communication partner; second obtaining means for obtaining an identifier of an e-mail sender; determining means for identifying importance levels of a voice communication partner and an e-mail sender on the basis of an identifier of the voice communication partner obtained by the first obtaining means, an identifier of the e-mail sender obtained by the second obtaining means, and contents of the storing means, and for determining which importance level is higher; and alerting means for informing, if the determining means determines that an importance level of a sender is higher than that of a voice communication partner, the user of the communication terminal of receipt of data.
Also, the present invention provides a program for causing a computer capable of receiving data addressed to a user thereof, while the computer is being used for voice communication, to function as: storing means for storing an importance level of a communication partner in association with an identifier of the communication partner; first obtaining means for obtaining an identifier of a voice communication partner; second obtaining means for obtaining an identifier of an e-mail sender; determining means for identifying importance levels of a voice communication partner and an e-mail sender on the basis of an identifier of the voice communication partner obtained by the first obtaining means, an identifier of the e-mail sender obtained by the second obtaining means, and contents of the storing means, and for determining which importance level is higher; and alerting means for informing, if the determining means determines that an importance level of a sender is higher than that of a voice communication partner, the user of the communication terminal of receipt of data.
In the present invention, if a communication terminal receives a mail alert while being used for voice communication, the communication terminal obtains an identifier for uniquely identifying the voice communication partner and an identifier for uniquely identifying the sender of the e-mail. The communication terminal determines which one is more important, and, if the sender of the e-mail is determined to be more important, the communication terminal informs the user that it has received the mail alert.
In the present invention, if an e-mail is sent to a user of a communication terminal while the terminal is being used for voice communication, informing the user of an alert of the e-mail is controlled.